Kids 24inch Mountain Bike Help

I'm looking into buying my 9 year old a new bike and need some advice. I'm looking at these bikes with 24 inch wheels. I don't want to spend more than $250 and have been looking at a couple different options. Can someone tell me which of these bikes has the better components? This bike will be used for mostly pavement riding and very minor trail rides.

A 24 inch bike is huge. That "24" refers to the distance from the top of the tube the seat post goes into down to the center of the spindle of the bottom bracket, where the crank ends attach to the bike. I'm 5'11" and ride a 19" Ellsworth which is a tall bike.

The images are refering to wheel size, which is not the frame size. The first bike looks like a 16" frame. The second may be an inch or two smaller.

Considering that it is being bought as a starter bike, the Shimano equipment on it will do well. Just don't go to Wal-Mart or Target etc. to buy anything. They will fail and be a pain to repair. Stick to dealing with your Local Bike Shop ('LBS') for subsequent component replacements and repair. Stay away from the above stores and any other "Big Box Stores."

Some good points on the REI choice

The weight of the REI bike (24 pounds) is pretty impressive for a bike with inexpensive components and a solid axle rear wheel. Your son may appreciate the fact that a light bike is far more fun to ride than a heavy one. I deal with the latter all the time with kids who are earning cycling merit badge and who have to ride a 50 mile ride in less than eight hours before completing the requirements. IMHO the REI bike is a better buy even though some of the components on the Performance bike are probably a little higher quality. The Performance bike has only 7 speeds while the other one has standard MTB 21 speed gearing. Also, if you are already an REI member, you will earn a rebate on the REI bike, making it even less expensive. One of the purchasers reviewed the Performance bike and complains that it is heavy. Here is a section from that review: "The main drawback of the bike is that the components, while they work fine, team up with that heavy-duty frame to create an incredibly heavy bike - significantly heavier than my 26 pound steel frame 29er. The painted steel handlebar is a major offender, and I have replaced that with aluminum riser bar I had lying around. The springy, non-adjustable suspension fork also weighs a ton. The low-end Sram drivetrain works well and is easy to keep in tune, however."

24" wheel bike will be outgrown very fast. Add another $100 to your price range and take a look at Giant Boulder in xs or xxs frame. It has 26" wheels and will last a lot longer. Anecdotal evidence - I bought it for my son's 9th birthday and he rode it for 4 years until he outgrew it this summer, when he stood 5'9" tall.